Research Projects

Implications of Multicultural Ideology for Ethnic Minority Group Members

Multiculturalism is an important part of Canada’s identity and is enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Yet, little is known about the psychological impacts of multicultural ideology, or other intergroup ideologies, such as colour-blindness, on ethnic minority group members. Multicultural ideology argues that each ethnic group has different strengths that they bring to society and that together these diverse strengths create a stronger society. One focus of my research in this area, is to understand the implications of intergroup ideologies on majority and ethnic minority group members’ sense of power, power-relevant cognition, and sense of voice (i.e., willingness to speak up and ability to exert social influence).

We find that for members of ethnic minority groups, exposure to a multicultural ideology enhances their sense that they make meaningful contributions to society, which in turn enhances their sense of power (Vorauer & Quesnel, 2017). During intergroup interactions, making multiculturalism salient can also lead ethnic minority group members to voice their opinions more firmly and clearly, increasing their ability to persuade a majority group member of their point of view on controversial social issues such as environmental protection (Vorauer & Quesnel, 2017). These results show that multiculturalism can help promote equitable relations by enhancing ethnic minority group members’ sense of power and voice. In other research I am also examining the influence of multicultural ideology on majority group members' attitudes when faced with the opinions of ethnic minority group members.

My other research in this area examines the effects of salient multicultural ideology on ethnic minority group members’ outcomes in stereotype-relevant situations (i.e., those in which stereotype threat may be likely to arise). Making multiculturalism salient in such situations may signal identity safety and appreciation of diverse perspectives to ethnic minority group members, empowering them to focus on the task at hand. An initial study provides tentative support for this hypothesis. I found that ethnic minority group members performed better on a verbal problem solving task when a multicultural ideology was first made salient as compared to when no ideology was salient.

When is empathy good for the target?

Empathizing with other people is often considered to be an important precursor to prosocial action. Yet, empathy also implies a certain power dynamic, whereby the empathizer is usually on top and empathizing with somebody worse off than themselves. Moreover, in intergroup contexts, empathy may lead people to become preoccupied with meta-stereotypes (i.e., perceptions of how their own group is viewed by members of another group) that reinforce the status hierarchy--focusing majority group members on meta-stereotypes related to their high status and minority group members on meta-stereotypes related to their lower status.

In this line of research, we examined the implications of promoting empathy during intergroup interactions for majority and ethnic minority group members’ power-relevant outcomes. Across three papers, we consistently found that promoting empathy as an intergroup interaction strategy benefited majority group members in ways that may reinforce the existing power structures within society. Specifically, ethnic minority group members showed decreased goal-directed cognition relative to majority group members both when they were a target of majority group members’ empathy (Vorauer, Quesnel & St. Germain, 2016) and when they themselves sought to empathize with majority group members during intergroup interactions (Vorauer & Quesnel, 2016).

Interminority meta-stereotypes and implications for political solidarity

In a new line of research, I am also beginning to examine factors that influence relations between ethnic minority groups (interminority relations). As societies become increasingly diverse, it is crucial to understand factors that promote or impede contact and cooperation between ethnic minority groups. My research examines the content, overall valence, and accuracy of the meta-stereotypes higher and lower status ethnic minority groups hold in regard to each other (i.e., the distinct views they feel the outgroup holds towards their ingroup), and how these factors affect ethnic minority group members’ interest in contact and cooperation with other ethnic minority groups in working towards shared goals. This research is supported in part by an award from the American Psychological Association and a grant from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.